Eric Murillo, left, talked with a passerby on El Paso Street and Eighth after giving him literature on his rights Wednesday. The sign reads "Report abuses by the Border Patrol." (VICTOR CALZADA-EL PASO TIMES)

About a dozen members from several community organizations on Wednesday passed out information at the Paso del Norte bridge about legal rights when dealing with immigration officials.

The ACLU of New Mexico, Regional Center and the Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project launched the "Border Reality Checkpoint" campaign and handed out more than 300 flyers. Holding Spanish signs that read "Reporte abusos de la patrulla fronteriza," (Report Border Patrol abuse), organizers handed the flyers to people crossing the bridge and other pedestrians who were in the area.

REPORTER

Luis Carlos Lopez

The campaign was spearheaded by the Southern Border Communities Coalition, said Brian Erickson, policy advocate for ACLU of New Mexico Regional Center.

The coalition includes about 60 organizations from four border states — California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

All four states held "Border Reality Checkpoint" events on Wednesday, said Erickson.

This is the third time that ACLU of New Mexico hosts a campaign to inform people of their rights, Erickson said.

The organization hosted "Know your Right Checkpoint" in March and May near the Interstate 25 Border Patrol check point located North of Las Cruces, Erickson said.

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"Anyone who wants to (or) has questions about their rights and wants to stop and chat with us a little bit, we'll be ready to chat with them about what their rights are," Erickson said.

Erickson said the lack of oversight at Customs and Border Protection has led to widespread abuse from excessive force to racial profiling.

"Border reality checkpoint is really about recognizing that the lack of accountability in our border enforcement system is resulting in the rights abuses of people of all immigration statuses and in communities far removed from the border and the border region," Erickson said.

According to the ACLU of New Mexico, Regional Center for Border Rights, there have been 45 deaths and injuries in CBP encounters since January 2010, most of them along the U.S.—Mexican border.

The ACLU of New Mexico also cited a December 2013 report from the Arizona Republic that said 31 people have died since 2010 as a result of encounters with CBP officials.

Jed Untereker, legal director for the Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project, said the campaign to educate people on the border region was a result of reports such as the one conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum in February.

Commissioned by CBP, the report reviewed the agency's policy on use of force and 67 case files related to the such use.

"The case reviews raise a number of concerns, especially with regard to shots fired at vehicles and shots fired at subjects throwing rocks and other objects at agents," the report stated.

The audit said officers should be "prohibited" from shooting at vehicles unless 'vehicle occupants are attempting to use deadly force—other than the vehicle."

The audit said agents should also be prohibited from using deadly force when "subjects" throw objects not capable of causing "serious physical injury or death..."

Untereker said he wanted border travelers to be encouraged and speak up when border officials violated civil rights. He added that the "Border Reality Checkpoint" was also meant to educate people on racial profiling and other violations.

Untereker said that the campaign to educate people on their rights was planned months ago and had nothing to do with the current influx of Central American immigrants who have been apprehended in South Texas. Some of them have been moved to El Paso.

In May, CBP revised its use of force policy handbook.

The handbook "incorporates most of the recommendations" found in the audit. Changes included requiring additional training in the use of "safe tactics and instituting the requirement to carry less-lethal devices," a news release from CBP stated.

After taking a flyer, California resident Mario Amor said he would read the information and pass it along to family and friends.